Home Sweet Home Mutatis Mutandis
by N2
Summary: Post DoR. The New Recruits are on their own... Can they maintain their innocence and optimism in the face life's harsher realities? (complete)
1. Strange Foundation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters from X-Men Evolution; they are property of Marvel and I am borrowing them without permission. I heard that if you use Marvel characters for profit Stan Lee shows up at your house and opens up a can of whup ass. 

**Note:** This story takes place during the _Mutatis Mutandis_ timeline. What that means is that it is Post Day of Reckoning and falls after the stories 'Left Behind' (by starched_undergarments) and 'Bloodstained Machinations' (by N) at probably around the same time as 'Awakening' (also by starched_undergarments). If you missed these stories and are way too lazy to dig through ff.net (I don't blame you) then the stories have been archived at www.originofspecies.cjb.net   
A special thank-you to those of you who've stuck with us this far; I know at least DarkFire has been keeping up with the fics. ^__^ Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. 

**Home Sweet Home**   
By N 

The house was one-story high with faded yellow siding and a low brown roof that looked in need of repair. There were two tool sheds in the backyard underneath the shade of a diseased elm tree and a chin-link fence surrounded the entire place. The windows were boarded up on the side of the house that faced the road, as was the front door. 

"We go in through the back door," Tabitha explained as she navigated the jeep into the backyard. "I pulled the boards off the windows too; it was too dark in there." 

Bobby nodded, his stomach twisting. Despite his brave words back at the Institute he had secretly been hoping that Storm or Scott would tell him that he was insane and that they were calling their parents and sending them all home right NOW. 

_Get it together,_ he scolded himself. _This is just a temporary situation. You'll be home before you know it._

The New Recruits followed Tabitha across the yellowing lawn to the back door, which she opened cautiously. "I'm always afraid somebody else is gonna be crashin' in here," she explained. "Like I'll open the door one day and find some hobo sleeping on the floor." The back door opened up on a long kitchen with discolored linoleum and a surprising amount of shelf space above the counters. A table was set up at the end of the room with a few mismatched chairs gathered around it. There were two entryways to the room, one leading to a hallway and the other that opened up into the living room, which was dark and brown. 

"Whoa," Jubilee said. "Retro." 

Tabitha grinned. "Yeah, the whole place has sort of a trashy 1970s feel. There are some pillows in the living room and if you guys go down this hallway there's three bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom's the first one on the left but, uh, of course it doesn't WORK. So. The one after that's the biggest bedroom and the one across the hall is another. The room at the end of the hall is the smallest; somebody started painting it red too, but I guess they split before it was done. Of course, there's no furniture. Well, unless you count a cardboard box in bedroom #2." 

Bobby nodded. "Okay. Uhm, do we have blankets?" 

"Yeah. And there's some food in the cupboards. All non-cook of course. If you guys wanna get clean or get hot food, there's a seven-eleven just down the road." 

Ray laughed. "Bathing in the washroom of the seven-eleven… my mom would be SO proud of me." 

"You bathe?" Roberto asked. Ray swatted him. 

"Besides, this is all temporary, right?" Jubilee asked. 

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, We just need to lie low for a little bit, then we can contact our parents." He smiled, hoping he looked more self-assured than he felt. "I just want to say… I'm glad we stuck together, guys." 

Amara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bobby, what sort of team would we be if we didn't? I'm sure everything is going to work out okay in the end." 

* * * 

Bobby twisted the cool black plastic of the phone cord between his fingers nervously; beads of sweat forming at his temples. "Come on, Mom," he whispered into the claustrophobic heat of the phone booth. "Pick up. Pick up." 

Jubilee had been the first to try and contact her parents, three days after they had moved into Tabitha's 'headquarters.' Instead of her mother or father, an unfamiliar man had answered the phone with a curt "Lee residence." Jubilee had hung up immediately and told Bobby that she'd had an awful feeling when she heard that voice. Worried, Ray had then tried to call his mother. There had been no answer that time, or the second, or third… 

Things were getting decidedly creepy. 

"Pick up…" 

There was a funny click on the line. "Mom?" Bobby asked excitedly. Silence, then another click. 

"Hello?" It was his mother's voice. But the line… it sounded almost like it was humming. Bad connection? Maybe. 

Maybe not. 

"Hi, Mom." Bobby's heart was racing. He was probably just being paranoid but… "I just wanted to call and let you know I'm okay." He shifted, his throat suddenly tight. "I love you, Mom." 

"Bobby, we saw on the news-" 

"I have to go, Mom. I'll be in touch." Somehow. 

"Bobby-" 

He hung up. Bobby stood there in the suffocating glass cage of the booth, his head bowed and throat working convulsively; suddenly wishing he had never heard of Xaviers' School. 

* * * 

"That is SO paranoid-conspiracy-theory!" Ray shouted. "Give it UP, Drake! Do you really think that there's black helicopters parked out in front of our houses and our parents have all been replaced with robots programmed to look just like them? Oh no wait… aliens! I bet its aliens! Why in fact-" 

"Shut up, Ray," Rahne interrupted. The young Scottish girl hadn't said a thing since Bobby had tentatively announced his theory and Ray paused, looking at her with surprise. 

"Don't tell me to shut up, you furry-" 

"Stop it!" Amara shouted. Bobby noted with some concern that she looked like she was going to cry. "Everyone just stop it! Things are bad enough without us f-fighting…" She broke down sobbing and Tabitha pulled her into a comforting embrace. 

Bobby cleared his throat, trying not to look at Amara; he HATED it when girls cried. "Look, I know it sounds a little extreme, but let's look at this logically." Like Cyclops would, he thought to himself. "Some weird guy answers at Jubilee's house, nobody answers at yours, Ray, and I get this bizarre idea that my line is tapped like in some sort of movie." 

Jubilee nodded. "Yeah, the line always clicks in the movies. And there is no way that somebody with perfect English is answerin' at my place." She shook her head. "It just all feels so… wrong." 

"Exactly," Bobby said. "Look, we know just from the newspapers at the 7-Eleven that the X-men kinda went public…" 

"And what the hell was that big robot thing?" Roberto asked. "What HAPPENED that day?" 

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. What we do know is that the Professor is gone, Mystique tried to kill us… So is it so far out to think that maybe somehow somebody figured out that all the kids at Xavier's were mutants? And what if they're trying to… I dunno, sick more robots on us, or something? What would be the logical way to trap us? We're kids! With the Institute trashed of course we're going to try and go home." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "And we can't." 

"Bobby… there's got to be someone you guys can call," Tabitha said. "What about… Rahne's dad! Or Roberto's family, or Amara's! People who aren't in the United States." 

"Bet there's lots of phone son Nova Roma too," Ray muttered. Tabitha snarled at him. 

"At least I'm trying to help, you jerk!" 

"Tabby," Amara whispered, tugging at the other girl's arm. "Come on. Everyone's stressed." 

"But even if we do get a'hold of our families, what do we expect them t'DO?" Rahne asked. "My Da' may be able t'afford a plane ticket home for me, but what about the rest of ye?" 

"Ditto here," Roberto said. "And I don't know if my parents can even afford to ship ME home." 

"It's hopeless," Jamie muttered. He looked like he might be joining Amara in a crying jag real soon. 

"Hey! No it isn't!" Bobby exclaimed. "Fine, so we can't go home… yet. Have you guys forgotten about the X-Men? They're working right now to find the Professor and I KNOW that once he turns up everything is gonna work out. Got it?" 

Jamie smiled. "Yeah! Wolverine will probably bust in here any day now and tell us 'follow me, bubs.'" He tried and failed miserably to duplicate Wolverine's gruff voice, which made Jubilee giggle behind her hand. 

Bobby grinned. "Right. So let's just stay positive, alright?" 

"Right!" Most of the kids agreed. 

_Right,_ Bobby thought. _Now let's see if I can follow my own advice._

* * * 

More to come, naturally. And here's a useless fact for you guys... the house in this story is completely based on one of the houses my good friend Darla had taken up residence in in the past year. She did indeed paint her bedroom red. Darla, if you ever read this, I salute you and your rat-infested dwelling! 


	2. Petty Theft

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters in X-Men Evolution; they are the property of Marvel and the WB and are used without the permission of various scary lawyer-men. I am not making any money off of this endeavor and if I was, I'd probably blow it all on footwear. 

**(Somewhat lengthy) Author's Notes:** Thanks to those who've offered feedback! (Morwen, I ADORE your work!) You have no idea how happy it makes me… I was starting to think there was a conspiracy on ff.net among all the Mary Sue authors to snub anyone who didn't conform to their standards. So I'll answer a few questions before proceeding to the fic… 

To batE: Concerning Jubilee's parents… In this timeline they were never killed. The reason for this is that Evo Jubes seems a LOT less rebellious and cynical than her comic counterpart. A lot of comic-J's attitude came from the time she spent in juvie hall and squatting in the mall. Since a lot of her chutzpah seems to have been leeched from Evo-Jubilee, Kitten and I took it to mean that these events had not occurred. So her parents are wealthy Chinese immigrants and very much alive and well. Or at least, they WERE… As for Roberto's parents… I'll admit I have virtually no knowledge of the original Sunspot. I just sort of went "Well, you can't go home Roberto, even tho I don't like you much and wouldn't mind writing you out of the story." His daddy's rich, eh? Revisions may be in order then. Thanks for letting me know! 

Now, without further ado… 

**Home Sweet Home**   
Chapter Two   
By N 

There were few things more ridiculous, Amara Aquilla decided, than trying to wash long hair in the bathroom sink of a 7-Eleven. Jubilee was browsing the store so it wouldn't look quite so bizarre that Amara had headed straight for the washroom, carrying a backpack with shampoo and a towel hidden inside. Of course, neither girl could hide the fact that they both exited the washroom with damp hair… Tabitha said she occasionally stuck her head under the blower meant for drying people's hands, something that explained her bizarre hairstyle, but both Jubilee and Amara had too much hair for that little trick to work well. 

As she tried her best to rinse the lather from her scalp, twisting her head at a very uncomfortable angle in order to try and get it under the faucet, Amara reflected that all in all they weren't holding up too badly. They'd been living in their new home for a week now, at first living off the food Tabitha had stored in the cupboards. After that they'd pooled their money and put it in an empty coffee can on top of the kitchen table. Anyone could use the money as long as it was for something everyone could share. It hadn't run empty yet, a fact that Bobby seemed amazed at but reluctant to discuss, as though it were a miracle that would fade if questioned. 

Amara knew the truth; it was Tabitha. The other girl would go out on 'walks' in the evenings and Amara had been quick to deduce that she was in fact going out to steal money from parking meters, vending machines and the like. She'd confronted Tabitha about it just the other night in the backyard as the blonde had come sauntering up towards the house. Everyone else was inside, trying to get to sleep. 

"But stealing is wrong, Tabby," Amara had protested once Tabitha had admitted to her nocturnal thefts. 

"Not if you really need to do it," Tabitha had countered. "I mean it's not like we're stealing to buy crack or something. It's survival. You know, like how in nature animals steal from each other to live and stuff." 

Amara had nodded, understanding the comparison but still not convinced of the morality. "I just feel bad about it. And you can't keep doing it forever; somebody's bound to try and stop you from trashing the meters." 

Tabitha had looked away at the diseased elm tree, her face solemn. "I know. And it's not enough… I was thinking of exploding some ATMs but I'm afraid I'll wreck the money. Plus, there's cameras on those things." She looked back up, meeting Amara's gaze. "I don't know if you've had the chance to read the papers at the store lately, but…" 

Amara nodded. "I know. Bobby pointed it out to Sam, Ray, Jubilee and I. He said not to talk about it much because it'll scare Jamie, and he thinks Rahne too." 

"Yeah. So getting caught on FILM using my powers would be a bad thing." 

They stood facing each other for a minute in silence, identical expressions of slowly-numbing dread on their faces. Then Tabitha had stepped forward and wrapped Amara in a tight embrace. "I'm scared, Tabby," Amara had admitted against the warm flesh of Tabitha's shoulder. 

"Me too." 

Amara toweled off her hair and combed it out quickly. The face watching her from the mirror above the sink was tired but in-control. She stuffed her towel and comb back into her backpack and unlocked the washroom door, peeking out before exiting nonchalantly. 

"Hey Amara," Jubilee hailed her from over by the magazine rack. She held a copy of YM in her hands. "Who do YOU think is cuter… Vin Diesel or Landon Donovan?" 

Amara shook her head. "I don't know…" She peered at the glossy pictures. "Uh, who's who?" 

"The bald guy is Vin. He's an actor. The other guy is some sports dude. See? Personally, I think he looks kinda wussy. Vin's got this weird growly sex-appeal…" 

Amara stopped listening. Her eyes had drifted to the newsstand and were glued to the front page of the New York Times. "Amara?" Jubilee asked. Amara pointed, her mouth dry. 

"Investigation on 'Mutants' Continues - Public Demands to Have Potentially Dangerous Specimens Interred." 

"Oh my god," Jubilee whispered. "What makes a 'potentially dangerous' specimen?" 

"You girls seen any of them?" 

Jubilee jumped and Amara uttered a little scream of surprise. It was just the store clerk, standing behind them and reading over their shoulders. He looked to be in his early twenties, with dark hair and hazel eyes that were meant for looking into over candlelit dinners, in Amara's opinion. 

"Uh, no," Jubilee replied. 

The clerk nodded. "Me neither. But they had footage on the news the other day… some guy throwing CARS at people, can you believe it?" He shook his head. "Freaks. They oughtta quarantine em all now before it gets out of hand." 

"Yeah," Jubilee replied quietly. "Uhm… Amara, we should get going…" 

* * * 

"There you are!" 

Sam Guthrie looked up at the figure silhouetted against the doorway for a minute before burying his head against his drawn-up knees again. "Go away," he replied. He was seated on the floor of one of the musty old tool sheds in the backyard. 

Rahne Sinclair frowned. "'Go away?'" she repeated. "I dinnae think so." She came inside and sat down next to Sam, who turned his body away from her a little. "I'm your friend, Sam, and I know you're upset. Talk t'me." 

"No." 

Rahne rolled her eyes. "Ach…" she muttered. "Sam, please. What's bugging you? Is it your family?" 

Sam nodded against his knees. 

"Sam, I'm sure they're just fine." 

"But we don't KNOW that, Rahnie!" Sam said, straightening up and facing her. "For all we know they could have been taken hostage, or... or… killed!" His Adam's apple worked convulsively in his throat as his fears were articulated. But he would not cry. His father would not have cried so neither would he… 

Rahne put her arms around the gangling farmboy and drew him close, hating the way his body quivered with emotions barely held in-check. "Shhh…" she soothed. 

"I want to go home," Sam whispered. "I'm worried about them, and if anything's happened to them just because of what I am…" He returned Rahne's embrace with more ferocity than she would have thought him capable. 

"Sam," she said as they clung to each other. "I wish I could say somethin' that would make ye feel better but the truth is I cannae. All we can do is pray for the best and help each other be strong." 

Sam nodded. "Thanks, Rahnie," he said after a moment. 

Rahne hugged him tight and then relaxed her embrace. "I'll be there for you if yuir there for me, okay?" 

Sam smiled. It was forced, but better than nothing, Rahne figured. "Deal." 

* * * 

Tabitha Smith was used to the hard life. When she was little she'd watched sitcoms on TV about happy, oddball families who despite their differences all managed to resolve their problems in the span of half an hour; she'd watched these perfect families and felt jealous and confused. Her family wasn't like that… Was it supposed to be? 

"And here I am, on the lam again," Tabitha muttered. She was standing in the red bedroom, her elbows cupped in her hands, staring at the half-finished paint-job. 

"Tabby?" 

Tabitha turned, smiling. "Hey Amara." 

"Can I talk to you?" 

"Yeah, sure." 

Amara shut the door behind her and stood fidgeting for a second. "Tabby," she said at last. "I don't want to sound… accusing, but… Well, okay. Have you been taking Jamie out with you on your 'walks'?" 

"No, of course not!" 

"Oh. Well, it's just… You ever notice that we ALWAYS have a box of Chocolate Sugar Bombs in the cupboard?" 

"Yeah, so?" 

"Tabby, we ALL eat that cereal. Jubilee nearly lives off of it, and it's Jamie's favourite." She played with a lock of her hair, which Tabby could tell was freshly washed. "The point is, yesterday we were almost out and now today I found Jamie standing on his tiptoes in the kitchen putting a fresh box in the cupboard." 

Tabitha stared. "The kid's been stealing CEREAL?" 

Amara nodded. "I asked him what he was doing and he fell over, going all multiple, and a bunch of apples fell out of his sweater sleeves, too." 

Tabitha started laughing. After a second, Amara started to as well. Jamie had looked funny, his eyes wide and panicked as apples rolled all over the kitchen. 

"Does anybody else know?" Tabitha asked once her laughter had died down. 

"Nobody saw the apple incident," Amara replied with a giggle. 

"You have to admit, the kid's perfect. Who would suspect a little 12 year old of stealing?" Tabitha suddenly stopped smiling. 

"Tabitha? Is something wrong?" 

"No, no, nothing." 

Amara tentatively placed a hand on Tabitha's shoulder. _This must have something to do with her dad,_ she thought. "Tabitha?" she said. "Thank you. I don't know what we all would have done without your help." Amara gave the other girl a fierce hug and Tabitha laughed a little. 

"Don't sweat it," she replied. They just stood there holding each other for what seemed like a very long time. 

"Amara?" Tabitha whispered. 

"Uh-huh?" 

Tabitha moved a little so she could look at Amara's face. Then she leaned forward and softly brushed her lips against the other girl's. Amara blinked, then smiled. "Thanks, Tabby." 

"Anytime." 

* * * 


	3. Things in Tatters

**Disclaimer:** All characters used belong to Marvel, and how we love them for it. Because without them there would be no Scooter to love, no Lance to make fun of and no Wolverine to dress up in a ballerina outfit. 

**Author Note:** In order not to confuse the hell out you all I should explain that N and I are taking turns writing chapters for each other, she writes a part of 'Awakening' for me and I write a part for 'Home Sweet Home', and so on. And by now you should all know that this is Post 'DoR' and falls into the Mutatis Mutandis time line which is being archived at www.originofspecies.cjb.net 

And now to answer a few questions and comments: 

To Tim: N and I haven't exactly made up our minds about Tabby and Amara, I would be lying if I said we didn't toy with the idea of them being lesbians but let's face it… They're all kids right? Kids play around, experiment with each other in order to find whom they really are. So they might hook up, they might not. Amara is a nice girl and definitely has more than Tabby to choose from, who knows she might just suddenly find uhm…Jamie irresistibly sexy! Rowrrr, I know I do. That sweater…those..urmm apples! YEAH! 

(N's Note: All women are secretly lesbians, didn't you know that?) 

To The Scribe: As for Roberto and Ray, well they are in this chapter as well as Jamie. Ray is my favorite New Mutant (tied with Jamie of course) so I got the privilege of writing his chapter. Hoohaw! 

And now on the with the show….. 

**Home Sweet Home**   
Chapter Three   
By starched_undergarments 

As far as he could tell he was in hell. 

Not the typical hell he had heard about when he was young and had actually gone to Sunday school; there was no fire or brimstone, no lakes of ice. 

Oh no, this was it, the real hell. 

The real hell that Ray Farrah Crisp was stuck in was the back kitchen of Bucky Burger, and the fire and brimstone was more like mounds of greasy unnatural meat that was being handled by pimply desperate youths looking for extra cash like himself. 

It was the start of the second week that the New Recruits had been living on their own, bathing at the local 7-11 and scraping together whatever money they could find. Tabitha had been sneaking out and stealing small change, and Jamie had been supplying the house with small food such as apples and a few candy bars. And Ray had noticed that there was never a shortage of Chocolate Sugar Bombs. 

When he asked Jamie about this odd occurrence the younger boy had just grinned devilishly and said, "Maybe it was one of Bobby's black helicopter aliens." 

Ray had stood there, staring at the kid. Then he and Jamie had both broke up laughing, the first real laugh they had had since leaving the now destroyed institute. They had laughed until their stomachs hurt, and then they would look at each other and one would bug his eyes out like some sort of space man and the two would fall over again, tears rolling down their cheeks. Jubilee had heard them from the living room and had given them that 'what the hell' kind of look. 

It was then that Ray decided to take it upon himself to get a job, something that would help the other's out. He was the oldest after all. He had been planning on getting some sort of slack job, like at a coffee shop or skate shop. Fate however, decided that he should be part of something a little more demeaning. 

Bucky Burger was next to the Bayville mall, and across from the town's and Save-On-Foods and the ever-popular Wal-Mart. This meant that the majority of the customers were either packs of obnoxious teenagers looking for a cheap meal substitute or unhappy mothers who brought their screaming children in with them. 

The decor of Bucky Burger was made up of a horribly mismatched color scheme of bright orange and puke green. That was bad enough. Then there was the mascot… Bucky Burger's friendly mascot was not a clown, or even a freckle faced girl; it was a huge grinning Beaver. 

Ray hated it. 

How could someone hate a cute smiling Beaver, you might ask? Well how about if you had to wear its ugly grinning face on your head? Every member of the 'Bucky Burger family' had to wear special 'productivity' hats, which meant you had to dress as the biggest looser in the free world to work there. 

"Six Bap Happy Burger Packs to go!" One of the other employees yelled back to him. Ray had to fight back the urge to yell back if they wanted the 'special fap sauce' with that. The number of sexual jokes he had to restrain himself from blurting out was unbelievable. 

Slapping some more inedible 'meat' on the grill he set his mind on more pleasant things, thinking about how when he got home he would just lay down on the ground in the living room and die. Yeah dying sounded good, just letting his spirit fly out of his body… 

But there was a problem with that. The whole idea of his spirit zooming out of his body, anyway. Ray was an Atheist. 

When he was little his mother had taken him to Sunday school, not to make sure that his soul was going to be saved but rather because his mom worked Sundays and couldn't afford a babysitter or day care. So he had spent many Sundays in the church basement, learning about what good little boys and girls do and how if you did something bad like stealing or cursing you were going to hell. 

In all honesty, Ray hadn't been afraid of hell. He thought it sounded like a really cool amusement park, and so began his 'falling out'. 

He could remember having to make beanie angels, and how his wound up looking more like some sort of fat blobby thing with a Mohawk and a tail. The other kids had made fun of him and he had just told them to fuck off, something else that earned him points with the devil in the teacher's mind. 

He had shown his mother his strange beanie angel, his eyes hard and fighting back tears. She had smiled and hugged him, her face weary and tired from work, but her eyes kind and full of life. 

"An angel huh?" She had turned the beanie over in her hand and grinned at him. "I think it looks more like a Blob Snake!" He laughed as she made it slither and nip at his toes, the harsh words of the other kids fading from his mind. 

After that it never bothered him again, the declarations that he was going to hell, such nick names as 'Devil's Boy' or 'Satan Lover.' The only thing he ever got mad about was the one time one of the kids had called his mom a harlot and told him that since she was divorced she was going to hell and so was he. 

It had been his first fight. He'd come home proud with a bloody lip and a grin that said 'you should see the other guy.' 

Years after that he told his mother that he no longer believed in God. She had nodded and patted him on the shoulder, telling him that was his right and she loved him regardless. He always considered himself lucky to have such a great mom; she had worked all her life and supported the two of them. She had been cool about him shaving his hair, cool about him getting his ears pierced, and most of all she had been cool about him being a mutant. 

Flipping the stack of sloppy meat Ray thought that now more than ever he missed her, and how he wished he had told her before that she was the best, that she never made him feel dumb or like a freak, and that he loved her so much. 

And now he wasn't even sure if he ever could. 

*** 

Roberto DaCosta, like most guys, hated shopping. However he didn't mind window-shopping with girls, especially when they were as cute as Rahne and Jubilee. 

"Oh Rahnie, that would look adorable on you!" Jubilee exclaimed pointing at a spaghetti strap emerald green dress that had small sequins on the trim. Rahne wrinkled her nose and shook her head, her pigtails flopping about cutely. 

Roberto looked and smiled at Rahne. "Yeah it would really bring out your eyes," he said smoothly. She looked up at him and blushed. 

"I dunno," she said. Jubilee sighed and walked towards the next store. 

"It doesn't matter, its not like we can afford it anyways." 

"Tis true," Rahne agreed and took one last look at the dress and Roberto before catching up to Jubilee. 

They had been sitting around the house when Jubilee had mentioned the idea of going to the mall, "Just to look around." 

Roberto had agreed to come with them in the hopes of lifting his rotten mood; sitting around in that dark house had an effect on a guy. But now, in the bright fluorescent lighting of the mall he was beginning to enjoy himself. The girls were both oohing and ahing at the newest fashion trends while he watched and offered his opinion, which was always positive. 

After all, you can't get somewhere with a girl being negative about fashion. Girls liked guys who offer them compliments about their clothes, and Roberto was an expert on giving compliments. 

They went into a music store and Jubilee started to bop along to the loud punk-pop music being played over the intercom. Roberto laughed and twirled her gracefully. 

She laughed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You know Sum 41 always makes me think of Ray." 

Rahne looked up from the CDs. "Where is that lad anyways?" She asked and Roberto grinned. 

"He's at work," he said carefully. 

Jubilee looked at him, surprised. "What? Since when does he have a job?" 

Roberto shrugged. "Since two days ago." He fingered through a few CDs and then looked at the two girls and smiled. 

"We can go visit him if you'd like…" 

*** 

Ray was not having a good day. His troubled thoughts about his mother had made him loose his concentration and he had wound up spilling a large coke all over his shirt and pants, making him curse the blasted drink dispenser. 

Then one of his co-workers had to leave early because she had a 'doctor's' appointment so he got stuck up at the register, having to deal with over-weight customers who were hungry for more Bucky Burger goodness. 

_Thank god I only have a few minutes left of this hell_, he thought to himself, passing a customer their filthy meal. He turned around and cringed; coming through the door was Jubilee, Rahne and Roberto. 

_Oh you fucker_, he thought and tried desperately to hide his face, praying that they were only here to use the bathrooms. But of course his heart knew better. 

The other night he had been creeping into the house after pulling the late night training shift. Still wearing his work clothes he had snuck quietly into the dark house, tip toeing past the large pile of garbage. 

Suddenly he was face to face with Roberto, who was in his sleepwear with a drink in one hand and a wide grin on his dark face. 

He had told Roberto not to say anything, that he was working in secret because he didn't want anyone making a big deal out of it. In actuality he just didn't want anyone to know that he wore a beaver on his head. 

"Well, well, well," Roberto said as he walked up to the cashier, a lazy grin stretched across his face. Ray blushed when he noticed that both Rahne and Jubilee were staring at him in disbelief. He kicked himself for trusting the biggest asshole of Brazil. 

"What do you want?" He asked curtly. 

Roberto faked offense. "Now is that any way to talk to a customer? I think not." 

Ray clenched his hands into fists and his sides, his eyes shifting over to his manager who was indeed watching him. "Welcome to Bucky Beaver Burger sir, how can I help you today?" He said, trying to restrain the urge to reach over and punch Roberto in the face. 

"I think I'll have three vanilla shakes to go my young man," Roberto said, pulling out some cash. Ray turned and prepared the shakes, debating weather or not he could spit or even jack off into Roberto's drink without his manager noticing. 

After paying Roberto handed the shakes to the girls and grinned at Ray. "Love the hat by the way," he said. Jubilee laughed and Rahne giggled. 

Ray wanted to die more now then ever. 

*** 

"Aww, what a cute little boy!" 

Jamie looked up in time to see a herd of old women flocking his way, he groaned and assumed the 'position', which meant he stood with his eyes wide and his cheeks ready to get pinched. 

"Now where is your mommy little boy?" One of them asked, her white hair reflecting a tint of blue under the bright lights of the Save-On. 

"I..I don't have a mommy," Jamie said, sniffling a little. The flock of old women embraced him, running their hands over his head and stuffing old candies and spare change in his pockets, telling him that he should go and buy some food or at least catch a cab to a shelter. Finally their husbands led them away, each of them calling over their shoulders, offering a home in their houses. 

Jamie sighed and popped one of the candies in his mouth; they were nice ladies but holy cow! Did they have to wear so much perfume?? 

He dug around in his pockets to see how much they had given him. It came to a total of 4.25$, not nearly enough. He sighed and decided that he would have to do it the old fashioned way, walking up and down the aisles, stuffing what he could in his over-sized sweater. 

Granted, he did feel a little bad about stealing but he and the other New Recruits were desperate, and besides, he was pretty sure that no one save Tabby or Ray knew that he was doing it. 

Jamie casually strolled down the cereal aisle and looked around, then reached up and grabbed a box of Chocolate Sugar Bombs, his favorite cereal. He smiled as he quickly stuffed it up his shirt; remember the laugh he and Berzerker had had when he had been questioned about the cereal. 

He liked Ray, despite his sometimes harsh words and loud attitude. In all honesty, Jamie actually looked up to him. Ray always said what he was thinking, and obviously didn't care how he looked, not like Bobby or Roberto who took forever in the bathroom. 

And Ray was the oldest, the coolest out of all the guys, not to mention he didn't seem to care about girls or any of that icky stuff, which was something he and Jamie had in common. 

"Hey you!!" Jamie whirled around in surprise and found one of the Save-On employees walking sternly towards him; Jamie tightened his grip on his sweater and took off down the aisle. 

"Wait!" The man called out to him, running after him. Jamie ignored him and dashed towards the front doors, praying that none of the other employees would catch him. 

It was then that he crashed head first into the display case set up near the registers; his feet skidded out from under him and the stolen items flew out from his sleeves. He cried out when he slammed against the heavy case, his powers kicking in involuntarily. 

"Oh my god!! It's one of those freaks!!" He heard someone scream. Jamie looked around frantically, trying to find the doors. 

"Mutant SCUM!" He heard a male voice say, and then someone was grabbing him, shaking his body. Pain flared in his head and he realized that someone was punching him. His breathe caught in his throat and he went limp, the sounds of anger and fear swirling around him. 

*** 

When Ray exited the doors of Bucky Burger his first thought was to just leave it alone, to just get on his crappy stolen bike and go home, leaving the day's trials and mishaps in the parking lot. 

However when he got outside and came upon the site of Roberto and the girls hanging out, the sly grin still on Roberto's face, Ray decided to go the other route. 

He walked calmly over to Roberto and punched him the stomach. 

Jubilee uttered a small shriek as Rahne just stared at him in disbelief; Roberto sank to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Ray sniffed and adjusted the bag that held his uniform. Jubilee's mouth worked and finally she spoke. 

"What the hell??" She asked loudly. Ray shrugged and started to walk towards his bike. Roberto finally stood and charged him from behind, pushing the older boy to the pavement. 

He felt the familiar feeling of his skin scraping against cement and he grimaced, rolling Roberto off of him and standing up. He could feel blood pulse its way down his cheek, he looked up and saw that Roberto was no longer smiling. Ray spat and tasted blood 

"You wanna play rough, you fucking pussy?" He spat at Roberto, feeling the entire day's anger boil over. He stood ready for the other boy's move. 

"Stop it!" He could hear Rahne yelling, her eyes scared and full of concern. The two boys stood there, staring hard at each other, their muscles flexed and poised, ready to fight. 

It was then that Ray heard the gunshot. 

*** 

He couldn't explain why, but as he dashed across the busy road Ray Crisp had the sick feeling in his stomach that he knew what had happened, but he couldn't put his finger on it. 

Blood trickled down his neck and he ignored it, pumping his legs harder, heading straight towards the large crowd that was now blocking the entrance to the Save-On. 

One minute he had been standing, ready to kick the shit out of that smarmy little Brazilian bastard and then next he was taking off towards the sound of a gunshot. He could hear Jubilee yelling at him to slow down; she sounded very far behind him. He reached the doors to the Save-On and tried to make his way through the hordes of people. 

He could hear screaming, some of it angry, others sounded afraid and even panicked. He pushed his way through trying to find the source of all this activity. 

"Holy shit," he whispered and stopped short. 

The figure was lying face down on the tiled floor, blood pooled around its head and torso. Ray could see the dark liquid seeping into the small cracks in the floor. His heart froze and he could just stand there and stare in disbelief. 

It was Jamie. 

"no…" he said, his voice sounding very quiet all of a sudden. He took a step forward. 

"JAMIE!!!!!!" He spun around in time to see Rahne breaking through the crowd, her eyes bulging and her voice breaking as she screamed the young boy's name. 

He watched as she pushed people away, her mouth working into a feral snarl, he watched as she slid down and clutched at the boy's frame, blood staining her once innocent hands. 

"Jamie?" She shrieked. "JAMIE??!" 

Ray started to move forward, to pull her away, to tell her to calm down when he noticed that she was changing, her body becoming coated in fur, her eyes going wide and sad like a hurt dog's. 

_Shit, her powers! She can't control them!_ He looked about and saw a large man who wore a dirty T-shirt move forward, one hand seizing Rahne's small wrist, the other bringing up a gun… presumably the one he'd used to shot Jamie with. 

"NO!" Ray yelled and ran forward, one hand pushing Rahne onto the floor, his other curling up into a fist. Anger sparked, he let loose and a powerful bolt of electricity was sent forward, hitting the large man and making him cry out in pain. Ray grabbed at Rahne and shoved her towards the doors, hating the way she howled as they barreled out of the super market, her cries of protest as they ran from the swarms of people. 

Jubilee and Roberto were just catching up. Ray shoved Rahne at Jubilee. "MOVE!" He barked and the four of them ran until they were gasping and drained. When they finally stopped they found themselves in the back parking lot of a closed up Greek restaurant. Rahne was sobbing, her face burrowed into Jubilee's yellow coat. 

Roberto looked at him, his eyes confused. Ray could only look away, his heart sinking. 

_Jamie_, he thought and collapsed to his hands and knees, his eyes blurring with tears. 

_What happened to you wasn't fair_, he thought and closed his eyes, hot tears falling onto the cold pavement. _And I swear that I will never see it happen again. _

*** 

End. 


	4. Finale

**Disclaimer:** Once again these characters don't belong to me, they are Marvel's who at night like to sneak into my fridge and take my cheese. Stan likes cheddar. 

**Author Notes:** Well first thank you to all of you who reviewed the story, kind of shocker to see Jamie die so violently huh?   
Mwahahhaha!   
Anywho, this isn't the end of the troubles and travels of the New Recruits, there will be more stories about them on their own. So look out for those.   
(These of course will all be part of the Mutatis Mutandis timeline being archived at www.originofspecies.cjb.net) 

**Home Sweet Home**   
Chapter Four   
By starched_undergarments 

Somebody once said, 'at least things can't get any worse.' 

As far as Ray Crisp was concerned, that was a load of bullshit. 

Things, had in fact, gotten a lot worse. The team had only begun to grieve the loss of their friend Jamie when Ray lost his job, and even though it had been particularly humiliating it had at least helped put food on the table.Two days after that Tabitha came home with a black eye and a split lip - apparently a few tough guys had spotted her on one of her 'outings' and she had been jumped and beaten for being a mutant This of caused the other kids to be terrified and to believe that it was no longer safe outside the house. 

Rahne was a complete wreck, spending the days either curled up on the floor in an almost catatonic state or crying in the broken bathroom. At night she would sit outside and howl, the sound eerie and full of sorrow. 

Amara and Jubilee were trying to be strong, but late at night Ray would hear the two of them whispering softly to one another, the sounds of their muffled crying drifting across the still night. 

Everyone else was lifeless, trudging around as if in some kind of daze. Roberto in particular had been very quiet, his usual snide remarks kept to himself. 

Everyone had seemed to lose all hope. Everyone, that was, but Bobby Drake. 

Bobby remained almost desperately positive, trying to convince the others that the Professor and the X-Men would be along any day now, any day. Ray had at first favored the idea, but with time the prospect of their teachers arriving to save the day became dimmer and dimmer. Ray found he grew more resentful of the other boy's hope day by day. 

In fact hadn't he, just the other day, told Bobby to shut up about "the goddamn X-Men" or he was going to throttle him? Yes, it had made him feel like the biggest dick on earth, but the eagerness and blind faith that the boy demonstrated almost physically pained him. He had felt guilty but as time went on the idea of being saved, like some sort of useless damsel in a storybook or a helpless child, frustrated him. It was almost as if Bobby was insinuating that he couldn't do his job, couldn't take care of them. 

_Because you're doing such a bang up job so far._ Ray snorted and got up from his position on the front steps, pitching a chewed to death tooth-pick to the side. 

He entered the dark household only to find it empty; not even Tabitha was around. Ray sat down on one of the musty couches and tried to unwind, tried to think of more pleasant things, like puppies or some damn thing. 

It was then that he heard the screaming, the high-pitched squeal of someone out back. Ray bolted from the couch toward the back door. Bursting out into the open he stopped dead in his tracks. 

It was Professor Xavier. 

*** 

The screams had in fact been emanating from Amara and Jean, who were now hugging one another and crying. Ray looked around as if in a dream and saw all of the X-men and even the Brotherhood standing in their back yard. The Brotherhood stood off to one side, obviously a little uncomfortable about being there. Lance was kicking uneasily at the dead grass. 

Storm came forward with the Professor, pausing and giving him a tired and weary smile. 

"Uhh, hey," Ray said awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Everyone looked exhausted, even Kitty, who was usually brimming with excitement. 

"Thank the goddess you're all safe and well," Storm said and touched his shoulder gently. "Go get Jamie and we shall leave this depressing foundation. You children need not suffer any longer." 

Ray stiffened at the mention of their former teammate. 

They didn't know. 

None of them did. 

He was suddenly filled with rage, and a bitter anguish that brimmed in his heart. He jerked his arm away from Storm's touch, angry tears springing to his eyes. 

"He's dead," Ray said bluntly, Jean looked at him as if he was speaking another language. 

"What?" She whispered. 

"I said he's fucking dead!" He shouted at them. The X-men stared at him uncertainly, their eyes full of confusion. The New Recruits stood behind him, their heads down, all silent. 

"Dead?" He heard Storm ask shakily. 

"Yes! DEAD! Do you speak English? Dead, gone, deceased, no longer among us, D-e-d, DEAD!" He could see Rahne starting to cry again and Tabby bit her lip as fresh tears streaked her heavy make-up. 

"How?" asked the Professor, oddly calm. This in turn angered Ray even more. How dare he take it so calmly, so coolly, as if Jamie didn't mean anything to him, as if he was just another student, a pawn, a kid? 

"He died because of you!" Ray screamed at his teacher, electricity flaring from behind his eyes. "Where were you? All of you!" He stared at them accusingly. "While you were off playing super-heroes we stuck here, alone and afraid! And now he's dead! He's dead because he was trying to help us; he was doing what you weren't! And that's NOT FAIR!!" 

His voice cracked and he pounded a fist down onto his leg, feeling his rage boil and spark within him. 

"No it's not," he heard the Professor say. "And I'm sorry, but…" 

"But nothing!" he yelled, sparks flying off his hands. "You lied to us! You said we would be safe and we weren't, you said that we wouldn't be hurt for what we were anymore, and that's bullshit! All of it!" 

He sniffed and wiped away his tears, peripherally aware of Rahne sniffling behind him. He regarded the Professor with cold eyes. 

"I'm not going anywhere with you, I don't trust you or your dream anymore. As far as I'm concerned you left us a long time ago and I've learned that I don't need you or your fucking school. I'm better off on my own." 

He turned away and started to walk towards the house, stopping when Rahne touched his arm gently. "I'm staying here as well. With Ray," she said, her voice hoarse from crying. 

"I cannae be going back, not without Jamie, not yet." She held onto Ray's arm and he gave her an appreciative smile. Tabby walked over to the two of them silently and stood next to them, her eyes cast downward. 

"Tabby!" Amara began, but Scott shushed her. 

"It's their decision," he stated softly. 

"Children please!" Storm pleaded, looking at them with wet eyes. Sam turned to her, his usually warm blue eyes cold and clouded with anger. 

"We ain't children," Sam said with an odd strength in his voice. "Not anymore." 

*** 

In the end all the New Recruits save Bobby decided to leave the X-men. Kitty had pleaded with them but was only met with dull, lifeless stares. After brief and awkward goodbyes the X-Men and Brotherhood had left, leaving the New Recruits once more on their own against the world. 

The End. 


End file.
